Postures of Prayer

GOSPEL — MATTHEW 6:1-6,16-21
Ash Wednesday

The Ash Wednesday gospel reading is a mixture of the spiritual and the physical. As Jesus cautions his hearers about displays of piety, the spiritual practice of generosity is described in terms of what one’s hands do in the act of giving. Prayer is seen through the physical spaces in which it happens: the street or synagogue versus one’s own room. Fasting is framed through facial expressions, putting oil on one’s head, and washing one’s face.

This weaving together of physicality and spirituality reminds us that we are whole people who bring bodies, minds, and spirits to faith and life. Generosity is a movement, a physical action. Where we pray matters because our bodies are grounded in physical spaces. An airport may prompt a different prayer than a quiet space at home. Our postures of prayer matter, not because there is a right or wrong way to pray, but because our prayers are embodied in our presence. A prayer as one moves about the neighborhood may feel different than a prayer said as one falls asleep.

Our physical postures are part of our piety. Jesus is not critical of piety, but of practicing it for others to see. In worship we share postures, not as a show, but as an embodiment of our communal work of worship. We dip hands in the font to remember baptism, we share signs of peace, and we extend hands to receive the physical presence of Jesus in bread and wine. It seems like our hearts lead the way, but Jesus suggests that our hearts go where our bodies go—in our giving, our presence, and our postures of prayer. On this day, when we carry ashes to remind us of our physical frailty, we also carry the promise of resurrection that makes us new and whole again.


From sundaysandseasons.com.
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